Every January, Sagnella rounds up the future senior class and gives them the following directive — choose a worthy cause and raise funds from the program's annual "Spring Brawl" intrasquad game. The seniors are told that the charity must be within the community because he wants them to see the impact they had on another's life, and they, not the coaches, do all the work. Students, former players and volunteers all pitch in as the game has become a community event.

"You're approaching your final season at North Haven," Sagnella tells his players, "and for many of you, it's your final year of football. Your career has been made possible by very many people that have made sacrifices of both time or money or both so that you could have a career. I want you to band together as seniors to benefit someone from outside the team."

Senior Alex Baglioni suggested Matthew Jacques, a 6-year-old who was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect. The cause hit home for Baglioni because his sister, Erika, had endured five open heart surgeries.

North Haven raised $9,000 for Jacques, who Sagnella said had heart transplant surgery three weeks ago. They also had Jacques suit up and run a play with the team. He ran for a touchdown.

Ricky Verre, a Xavier senior, emailed Sagnella days after the Spring Brawl and let him know that he and his brother, Andrew, wanted to help Jacques.

"We had a ceremony at pregame (last Friday)," Sagnella said. "(Xavier coach) Sean Marinan, his captains, my captains and me, and they handed us an $1,800 check.

"You ask me about my team, humility is probably the best way to describe it. They play that way. They prepare that way. And they walk the walk off the field."

Sagnella saw early that this was going to be a special team. The Indians finished 7-3 last season and had the rare distinction of losing to three state champions — Hand (Class L), Hillhouse (MM) and Xavier. They didn't qualify for states, yet they still wanted to play.

"They enjoy the rigors of the game," Sagnella said. "They wanted to keep practicing when our season ended. I had to check with the CIAC to see if it was okay to practice, and it was okay as long as the playoffs were going on. We didn't go out with pads, but we went out for an hour-and-a-half a few times for the last two weeks of the season.

"They wanted to practice. They wanted to throw the ball. They wanted to get into passing leagues. And the kids always get into the weight room."

North Haven was an unknown commodity headed into the season as three-year starter Jalon White, its best offensive player, graduated. Foran, Guilford and Hillhouse were all touted more than the Indians.

Sagnella understands why his kids were off the radar.

"Jalon developed that star quality," Sagnella said. "This year, you didn't see that on our depth chart, although we did return on our entire offensive line who all had varying levels of experience."

North Haven runs the single wing (i.e. GOD'S FATHER'S OFFENSE), a system that's a rarity nowadays (the Housatonic/Wamogo co-op is another single wing team). Co-captains Patrick Mikos and Ethan Suraci are the blocking back and fullback, respectively. Mike Montano is the wingback. And Mike Halloran, an all-SCC linebacker, moved to tailback, which is the quarterback of the offense.

The Indians also returned three defensive linemen, three linebackers and a cornerback.

So, yeah, North Haven's 42-28 win over Xavier probably wouldn't have surprised so many of us had we known more about it. Regardless, it was a huge win for the program. Xavier had won 39 of its previous 40 games and was the top-ranked team in The Day's Top 10 state coaches poll. It's also been the scourge of the SCC D-I and Class LL.

North Haven is a SCC D-2 program, and although its made states three times over the last six years, it's not Xavier.

The Indians rendered all that moot last Friday. Suraci ran 12 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns while Halloran completed 4 of 14 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns.

Kastehuber scored on catches of 71 and 50 yards, and Evan Manemeit added a 13-yard touchdown catch. Sabrina Fronte also made all six of her extra points.

"Obviously we're thrilled with the outcome, but it was one game," Sagnella said. "Now we have to move forward.

"They (the players) believe that if they play hard and play well that good things would happen in time. … That's why you play the game. You play the game for opportunities and experiences like that. We're thrilled that it happened at home and that all these people, parents, the young kids in the youth program and so-on got to enjoy it and to celebrate that kind of event."

Oh, yeah — North Haven debuts at No. 6 in the coaches' poll this week, its first Top 10 ranking since The Day revived the poll in 2003.

• • • •

First-year East Lyme coach Rudy Bagos, a physical education teacher, has his three captains in class: Eric Stirtan, Dean Beebe and Ben Watts.

"In class we were playing team handball and they were just going at it," Bagos said. "I stopped class 15 minutes early and had them play basketball just so my football players wouldn't get hurt. Today, Eric was still mad he lost the championship in handball. ... They're all a pleasure to have."

Stirtan's 66-yard touchdown to give East Lyme a 13-7 lead, by the way, came on a play which was something different than the Vikings' tradition double-wing offense. He also lost a shoe at about the 40-yard line.

"We just put that formation in this week and we weren't running it in practice right either," Bagos said. "I just thought we needed a spark."

Note that Greenwich edged West Haven, one of the Class LL preseason favorites, 22-21 on Sept. 15.

Half of the Top 10 teams are from Class L — New Canaan is tied with Ansonia for first, Middletown is eighth, and Windsor is tied for ninth. There's also other 2-0 teams such as Masuk (which has played like a Top 10 team), Farmington, Harding, Naugatuck and Platt.

Many of those Class L teams will battle during the regular season. Farmington, Middletown and Windsor are all in the CCC Division II West. New Canaan and Darien are Thanksgrabbing Day rivals. And, in a magnificent bit of non-conference scheduling, Darien will play at North Haven on Nov. 15.

• • • •

We encourage you to watch The Day's broadcast of last Friday's Fitch v. Stonington game if you haven't already. The game was both produced, filmed and called by top-shelf talent who work on sporting events such as, oh, the NFL and the America's Cup. Honest.

Kountry Kyle Brennan, Waterbury Republican-American: Naugatuck over Wolcott: Instant Classic. Kountry also embedded the final minutes of the game broadcast on WATR. He called the game and Steve Gesseck brought the analysis.

It's nuts to get worked up over a Top 10, but one would still like it to make some sense. An entry-level employee at Polecat HQ has either coordinated and/or voted in the Register media poll since 1998, and cannot ever remember something like this happening.

One explanation for such a nonsensical judgment was the theory that if North Haven and Xavier played numerous times, Xavier would win the majority of the meetings.

Simply put, SOME voters (not all), chose to put less stock in reality, i.e. North Haven's 14-point win, and more stock in their hypothesis that Xavier was still the better team.

Roll that around your brain for a moment.

Another explanation was that North Haven didn't receive any votes last week and, as such, had too far to go to crack the Top 10.

No idea if any voters used that mindset, but if they did, then, NOPE. Any team that knocks off No. 1, and a record-setting THREE-TIME Class LL champion, earned its spot in the Top 10.

5. Southington 2-0 230 7KNOW THIS: Yale-bound Stephen Barmore completed 17 of 25 passes for 321 yards and five touchdowns as the Blue Knights strafed Manchester last Friday, 41-8. That result is more impressive given that Manchester took Windsor to overtime the previous week (in a 25-18 loss).NEXT: v. Simsbury, Friday, 7 p.m.

6. North Haven 2-0 208 NRKNOW THIS: You beat the No. 1 team in the state (Xavier), AND beat it 42-28, then you earn yourself a spot in the Top 10. End of story.NEXT: at East Haven, Friday, 7 p.m.

7. Darien 2-0 190 NR KNOW THIS: It's been a few years since the Blue Wave have been in the Top 10. They make their season debut after scoring the game's first 28 points in a 42-21 win over then-No. 6 Greenwich.NEXT: at Bassick, Friday, 7 p.m.

8. Middletown 2-0 176 8KNOW THIS: Blue Dragons' coach Sal Morello was displeased by his team's second-half performance against Wethersfield last Friday. They still won, 28-0, and an ugly win, as the great Bob Brackett once said, “beats a sharp pencil in the eye.”NEXT: vs. Bristol Eastern, Friday, 7 p.m.

T9. Shelton 2-0 140 NRKNOW THIS: The Gaels have yet to get to the brutal portion of their Southern Connecticut Conference D-I schedule, but those who've seen them play keep using the word, “WOW.”NEXT: at Amity, Friday, 7 p.m.

T9. Windsor 2-0 140 9KNOW THIS: Jaylen Berry Arkeel-ed against Bulkeley last Friday. He ran 10 times for 150 yards and four touchdowns. He added a 35-yard fumble return for a touchdown for good measure.NEXT: at Bristol Central, Friday, 7 p.m.